Exporters in Murcia have announced they are targeting eastern Europe to increase their export volumes.

Some 20 different firms, all members of Proexport, the association that represents producer-exporters in the region, were at the Murcia pavilion at Fruit Logistica last week.

Their president Miguel Durán said: “The markets of eastern Europe are all ones that have matured a lot in terms of their consumption of high quality fruit and vegetables and our aim is to increase our presence there. Consumption in the traditional European countries is saturated and we have to open new markets.”

Proexport’s membership exported 1 million tonnes of produce during the 2007-08 season to more than 30 different countries. Director-general of the association Fernando Gómez Molina said: “Our objective at Fruit Logistica as leaders in horticultural production in the region of Murcia is to consolidate our position among international retailers and their supply network.”

As well as seeking out new markets, the exporters are aware of the need to defend their presence on existing ones especially given the prevailing economic conditions. Gómez said: “The UK, Germany and the Netherlands take more than 70 per cent of the total exports of all the member organisations of Proexport - Germany alone accounts for 35 per cent of our sales. Even though we are now looking to eastern Europe and also to the Middle East, this will not be at the expense of our main customers: the consumers of Germany and the UK.”